Handel Festival in Halle: A New Director, A New Impetus?

At a time when Baroque festivals across Germany are seeking to renew their audiences, the Handel Festival in Halle is entering a new chapter in its history. Founded more than a century ago in the composer’s birthplace, this emblematic event in the world of early music opens a new era in 2026 under the leadership of 34-year-old Florian Amort, after the sudden death of its past director, Bernd Feuchtner. A musicologist, dramaturge, and former artistic manager of the Bregenz Festival, Florian Amort aims to place Handel’s world in dialogue with contemporary debates, without abandoning the spectacular and popular dimensions of Baroque theatre. From June 5 to 14, 2026, more than eighty events will take place throughout Halle and its historic venues under the theme Mannsbilder (“Images of Man”): heroes, rulers, and seducers, a broad reflection on representations of masculinity in Baroque opera and in contemporary society. Alongside major operatic productions, including a new Rinaldo staged by Walter Sutcliffe, the festival will present concerts, cross-disciplinary creations, urban projects, discussions, and formats designed to reach new audiences. Remaining true to its international identity, the festival will bring together several leading figures of the Baroque world, from Magdalena Kožená to Andrea Marcon, as well as Max Emanuel Cencic, Bruno de Sá, and Valer Sabadus. Yet beyond this prestigious line-up, it is the idea of a more open, more urban, and more experimental festival that seems to guide Florian Amort. A way of reminding audiences that, in Halle, Handel belongs not only to history: he remains a living theatre, animated by the questions of our own time.

Until the pandemic, the Handel Festival always lasted more than two weeks. Today it is significantly shorter. Why?

Florian Amort: With the current budget, and because of the sharp rise in costs since the pandemic, it is extremely difficult to fill what was once a longer period with the quality and density that befit the festival. In recent years, there were always a few quieter weekdays in the middle of the week. Now, the highlights follow one another continuously. The shorter duration therefore even has its advantages. More visitors stay in Halle for several days and consequently attend more events. We are better able to create a break from everyday life. Two additional major hotels are currently under construction in Halle, which is just as important for visiting ensembles as it is for audiences attending performances. Moreover, because of this shortening, the Handel Festival is experienced more intensely as a festive period by the local population.

Beyond the usual educational and outreach formats, what opportunities do you consider particularly important for local engagement?

F. A.: The triad of exemplary productions, rarities, and creative engagement with urban society is particularly important to me, not only because maintaining that balance is essential for our reputation and therefore our long-term future. For example, we have developed a Handel Playmobil figure, which at the same time helps introduce our festival to people unfamiliar with it. In connection with that, we are presenting a Playmobil staging of Handel’s Rodelinda. Through a theme such as this one, I also want to strengthen the connection with current issues and the spirit of the times. For instance, within a queer film series, we are screening the landmark film Coming Out, made at the end of the GDR era. I appreciate these kinds of connections because they create a direct political and historical reference that speaks both to the heart of society and to its subcultures. At the same time, we offer a cultural-historical perspective on Handel’s era. In those days, voice, body, and gender were perceived much more strongly within a social context.

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